Written evidence submitted by the Institute
of Administrative Management (SV30)
I am the chief executive officer of the Institute
of Administrative Management. We have close to 5,000 international
students every year and I wish to contribute to the inquiry on
proposals to restrict student visas, particularly for qualifications
tiered below degree level.
I will focus on the capacity of professional institutes
to regulate international students and propose the following solutions:
- Professional institutes are smaller than a usual
awarding organisation, so they can monitor students and their
achievements more closely.
- They prioritise their reputation of excellence
above all else. They are likely to stop irregularities even when
it may be against their financial interest to do so.
- Institutes, like ours, assess students with written
examinations. Non-examination assessment methods are used far
less. Supervised examinations guarantee that students complete
their own work and that their time is spent studying instead of
working illegally.
- Examination results are an excellent indicator
on how much time a student spends studying. Examinations, managed
by professional institutes, are very demanding as demonstrated
by pass rates being lower than other bodies.
- The UKBA could restrict the number of times students
are allowed to re-take examinations.
- Students who repeatedly fail demonstrate that
they are not spending enough time studying. Institutes concentrate
on a small number of students and can identify, and deal with
these irregularities effectively. In this way, concerns over illegal
work can be addressed, using resources already in place.
I hope you consider these points in your inquiry.
January 2011
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